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Labyrinth: Letting Our Own Lights Shine

“Let your own light shine on the darkest days. For our lights will shine brighter. Together.”

I have read a lot about labyrinth walks, more in the mystical sense. Thich Nhat Hanh talks frequently about walking meditation and he mentions the word labyrinth a myriad of times. But, I have never walked one myself. Besides the fact that I can never remember how to spell the word, I always thought, “Okay, so you walk a path that winds this way and that... how is that meditative? How does that help me as an individual relate to myself and others?” I decided I wanted to find out.

Jerry Becker set up a labyrinth walk on the day of the Winter Solstice. I asked fellow Sangha member and friend, Amy, if she would like to partake in this form of walking meditation with me. I could have gone by myself, but I have learned in situations as these that it is nice to have a fellow partner there to digest and process through experiences. Before the walk Jerry pointed out that there would be four lanterns painted different colors, strategically placed on each side of the circle: yellow for Joy, blue for Harmony, red for Peace, black for Healing. Then there’s Balance below. Wisdom above. Love in the middle, and, Compassion bringing it together. And so, the walk began.

Beginning and Ending in Pure Joy

We started at Joy, each of us holding a lantern that would provide us the needed light to carry on as evening began to close in. The most interesting thing happened. At first, I was a little stiff, as always, watching where I was walking, trying to remember the